Introduction
Passkeys vs. password managers is now one of the hottest debates in cybersecurity. Imagine how many passwords you use daily—for email, social media, shopping, banking, and work. Think about how difficult it would be to remember them all if each one was unique and complex. For the majority of people, such a feat is impossible. This is why we end up using weak passwords like 123456 or password123.
Cybercriminals are aware of this, and that’s why stolen or reused passwords are the most common source of data breaches. For years, password managers have helped us handle the issue. However, a new technology is emerging: passkeys, which offer a future in which we may not require passwords at all.
Are passwords genuinely becoming obsolete? Let’s look at how password managers operate, what passkeys are, and why tech companies think passkeys are the future of authentication.
Why Passwords Are a Problem
Passwords are insecure
- Since they are reused across different websites
- Many are weak and easily guessed.
- They can be taken through phishing scams or database breaches.
It’s like having a single key that unlocks your car, home, business, and bank. If a thief creates a copy of it, you’re in serious danger.
How Password Managers Work
You can think of a password manager as a digital safe. Password managers make life easier, but in the “Passkeys vs Password Managers” discussion, they still rely on old-style passwords that can be stolen.
- You only need to remember one master password.
- The tool keeps all of your other logins (email, bank, social media) within the safe.
- The password manager can fill in the right password for you when you go to a site.
- A lot of them also make new strong passwords for you, like 6&Jk@9sQp!, so you don’t have to invent them.
Imagine that you have one master key that opens a safe full of all your other keys.
Password managers help you remember your passwords, but they don’t resolve the problems with passwords themselves. Someone can still steal a password if it gets phished or leaked.
Enter Passkeys: The Passwordless Future
The aim of passkeys is to completely replace passwords. WebAuthn (short for Web Authentication API) and FIDO2 (Fast Identity Online) are two new technologies that they use. Don’t worry about the acronyms; here’s what they imply in plain English. When comparing Passkeys vs Password Managers, passkeys eliminate the need for reused or weak credentials altogether.
When you create a passkey for a website or App,
Your device (phone or laptop) makes two digital keys:
- A public key (like the lock on your front door).
- A private key (like the only physical key that fits the lock).
- The public key is stored by the website or app. i.e., like a lock on the website
- The private key stays safely on your device and never leaves it.
- When you log in later, your device receives a challenge from the website/app, i.e., the site states, “Show us you have the private key.”
- Your fingerprint, face scan, or PIN unlocks the private key and proves that you are who you say you are. i.e., the lock can only be opened with the key you have.
The trick: If a thief gets you to visit a fake site, the private key won’t work because it’s linked to the lock of the real site.
A Simple Explanation of WebAuthn, FIDO2 and Passkeys
- WebAuthn, or Web Authentication API, is the “language” that websites use to talk to your device and make sure you have the right passkey.
- FIDO2 is the security standard that makes this system work for everyone (Apple, Google, Microsoft, banks, and more). i.e., it defines how this authentication process works across different devices and platforms
- WebAuthn is the language, FIDO2 is the set of rules, and passkeys are the new keys, i.e., specific credentials used for authentication.
Password Managers vs Passkeys
| Feature | Password Managers | Passkeys |
| What they use | Passwords (stored safely) | Cryptographic keys (no passwords at all) |
| Ease of use | Autofill, but still type passwords sometimes | Just fingerprint, face, or PIN |
| Security | Safer than remembering, but passwords can still be phished or stolen | Strongest: phishing-resistant, unique per site |
| Adoption | Works everywhere | Growing, but not available on all sites yet |
| Reusability | People frequently use the same password across many sites, leaving multiple accounts exposed if one password is compromised. | There are no reusable credentials to steal because each website or app generates its own unique passkey. |
Should You Still Use a Password Manager?
Yes, for now at least. Here’s why:
- You still need a password for most sites. Passkeys are slowly being put in place.
- Password tools are getting better. A lot of them now keep both passwords and passkeys.
- In the coming years, you’ll probably use passkeys on big sites like Google, Apple, and PayPal and passwords everywhere else.
So, think of password managers as a pathway to get to the next level. For now, they keep you safe until passkeys become standard.
Conclusion
Passwords were not made to work with the internet we use now. They are hard to remember, simple to steal, and give you a lot of trouble. Having password tools that kept our passwords safe helped us deal with things. Passkeys, on the other hand, get rid of passwords completely and use cryptography to prove who you are.
In the future, you’ll be able to join in anywhere by tapping your fingerprint or looking into your camera. You won’t have to type, remember, or worry about phishing. Until then, use a password manager, and enable passkeys wherever you can. The choice between passkeys vs. password managers isn’t final yet, but the trend is clear: passkeys are shaping the future of authentication.
For more details, please read the following.
https://security.googleblog.com/
https://thecyberskills.com/phishing-attack-red-flags-protection/
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